Supporting Cognitive-Communication, Speech and Voice Skills with Jokes
In honor of the Super Bowl this weekend I want to tell a joke that one of my group clients with cognitive-communication difficulties shared earlier this week. The session was winding down and there was an awkward silence while group members were shifting in their seats and thinking about what to say or ask before our group ended. Then all of a sudden, one of the members said, “Want to hear a joke I’ve been practicing?”
Q: “Why is a stadium always cold?”
A: “Because it has a lot of fans in it!”
Reactions included chuckles, some smiles and a comment about this being funny. One member said he wanted to write it down and share it with his family. Another asked for it to be repeated so he could try and remember it. And a third participant responded with his own story about the Super Bowl.
Jokes are a great way to support conversation skills and enhance social interactions. They help us connect with others, share a smile and laugh! It can give us something to talk about that is not disease specific or focused on a medical condition. When used socially, they can help individuals feel less isolated and connect to their families/ friends. This in turn boosts mood, self confidence and connectivity to others.
As a speech-language pathologist, I use a lot of jokes both individual treatment and group sessions to address a wide variety of functional cognitive-communication goals, such as:
✴Memory: Remembering the joke and punch line
✴Attention: Paying attention to the details.
✴Auditory Comprehension: Listening and understanding abstract language
✴Verbal Expression: Sharing a sequence of information
✴Written Expression: Practicing handwriting and writing sentences
✴Reading Comprehension: Reading the joke to yourself or out loud
✴Executive Functioning: Carrying over the joke for homework, sharing with family/friends, practicing handwriting, researching new jokes.
✴Voice: Using with LSVT LOUD® and Speak OUT!® clients to use a loud and clear voice
✴Speech: Slowing down, communicating clearly, emphasizing certain words
✴Social Skills/ Pragmatics: Understanding humor, establishing boundaries, identifying appropriate/inappropriate types and timing for jokes
✴Social connectivity, self confidence and much more!
Do you have a good joke to share? If so, please pass it along. I bet I know someone who would love to hear it!
If you’d like assistance or more information about skilled therapy or cognitive-communication enhancement groups, please reach out to Amy Karas at SLPAmyKaras@gmail.com or view the website: www.SLPAmyKaras.com.
Amy Karas, MS, CCC-SLP |(617) 893-8807
Owner/Speech-Language Pathologist
Certified Brain Injury Specialist & Trainer
Certified in LSVT®, SPEAK OUT!® and PhoRTe
SLPAmyKaras@gmail.com | North Shore, MA
